City and oasis in northwestern Saudi Arabia with 350,000 inhabitants (2003 estimate), at an elevation of 690 metres. The entire oasis is about 70 km long. Tabuk is the capital of Tabuk Province with 650,000 inhabitants (2003 estimate).Originally, Tabuk was set inside a rich oasis. Today the traditional oasis is gone, transformed into advanced irrigated agriculture. The modern city now has many industries, being one of the fastest growing centres in the kingdom. The military is also a large employer in Tabuk.Tabuk has good road connections with the urban centres to the east in the country, as well as with Amman in Jordan. There is also an international airport.Tabuk has a number of landmarks, of which the Ottoman fort, at the edge of the old town, dates back to the middle of the 17th century. Other important buildings is the Mosque of the Prophet, which was reconstructed in the 1960's, and a early 20th century railway station of the former Hijaz line. Around the city, other important sites can be found, of which al-Bida'a is the most noteworthy archaeological one.